hippocampus

[ hip-uh-kam-puhs ]

noun,plural hip·po·cam·pi

[hip-uh-kam-pahy, -pee]. /ˌhɪp əˈkæm paɪ, -pi/.

Classical Mythology. a fish-tailed horse of the sea that was ridden by the sea gods.
Anatomy. an enfolding of cerebral cortex into the lateral fissure of a cerebral hemisphere, having a major role in learning, emotion, and memory, and named for the seahorse shape of its cross section.

Origin of hippocampus

First recorded in 1575–80; from Latin hippocampus, hippocampos, from Greek hippókampos, equivalent to hippo- hippo- + kámpos “sea monster”

Words Nearby hippocampus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hippocampus in a sentence

This study tracked cells in the hippocampus, a curved structure near the center of the brain in both species that’s vital for learning and memory.
Brain Cell DNA Refolds Itself to Aid Memory Recall | Elena Renken | November 2, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
Hassabis, for example, was studying the hippocampus, which processes memory, when he and Legg met.
Artificial general intelligence: Are we close, and does it even make sense to try? | Will Heaven | October 15, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
In previous “replay” algorithms, these data are then transferred to the hippocampus, which stores the memory and uses it for playback.
How a Memory Quirk of the Human Brain Can Galvanize AI | Shelly Fan | September 28, 2020 | Singularity Hub
Previous studies have found that by snipping off the ventral connections from the hippocampus to different brain areas, it’s possible to reduce the impact of memories that normally trigger anxiety.
Towards ‘Eternal Sunshine’? New Links Found Between Memory and Emotion | Shelly Fan | July 28, 2020 | Singularity Hub
You see, the hippocampus is special in that it’s one of two brain regions that gives birth to new neurons throughout most of life, although the rate declines with age.
Couch Potato No More: How the Benefits of Exercise Transfer to the Brain | Shelly Fan | July 14, 2020 | Singularity Hub

Cortisol is bad for your brain, particularly the hippocampus, which encodes memories.
The Science Behind Rick Perry’s Debate Brain Freeze | Sharon Begley | November 10, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
In depressed people, for instance, the hippocampus tends to be smaller than in healthy people.
How Sad Moms Change a Child’s Brain | Sharon Begley | August 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Until now, most research on the brain changes caused by stress has focused on the hippocampus, which processes memories.
How Sad Moms Change a Child’s Brain | Sharon Begley | August 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Eventually it ends in the substance of the hippocampus and in the uncus of the temporal lobe.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 | Various
The hippocampus, which is otherwise known as the “sea-horse,” affords another interesting example of aquatic locomotion.
Magic, Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions Including Trick Photography | Albert A. Hopkins
The little seahorse (Syngnathus hippocampus) is commonly found here.
The History of Sumatra | William Marsden
The first on the right has two figures of Nereids traversing the sea, one on a sea-bull the other on a hippocampus.
Museum of Antiquity | L. W. Yaggy
These little cuirassed fishes consist of two genera, Syngnathus and hippocampus.
The Ocean World: | Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for hippocampus

hippocampus

/ (ˌhɪpəʊˈkæmpəs) /

nounplural -pi (-paɪ)

a mythological sea creature with the forelegs of a horse and the tail of a fish
any marine teleost fish of the genus Hippocampus, having a horselike head: See sea horse

an area of cerebral cortex that forms a ridge in the floor of the lateral ventricle of the brain, which in cross section has the shape of a sea horse. It functions as part of the limbic system

Origin of hippocampus

C16: from Latin, from Greek hippos horse + kampos a sea monster

Derived forms of hippocampus

hippocampal, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for hippocampus

hippocampus

[ hĭp′ə-kăm′pəs ]

Plural hippocampi (hĭp′ə-kăm′pī′)

A convoluted, seahorse-shaped structure in the cerebral cortex of the temporal lobe of the brain, composed of two gyri with white matter above gray matter. It forms part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing of emotions and memory.

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